"Sah-wah-ro". That's what the National Park pamphlet says is the correct pronunciation of Saguaro. And it was confirmed by the park's ranger at Saguaro NP east of Tucson ("Toos-on").
We arrived late in the afternoon and shared the 8-mile loop road with several groups of bike riders. They obviously enjoy the circuit too, and they were friendly so we didn't mind dodging them (and several times they had to dodge us stopped on the road because I'd spotted something interesting).
I hadn't realised that the cactus deserts (Sonoran desert), and the Saguaro cactus in particular, occupy such a small part of the continent. Tucson is a cactus hot spot. We were too late to see the bulk of the cactus flowering but I found a few.
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| Desert Cottontail |
And now for the Saguaro Cactus itself. Probably the most famous cactus in the world. They are very slow growing so the tall multi-branched specimens are several hundred years old. Their flowers open at night and researchers have discovered that the main pollinators are White-winged Doves (which are still allowed to be hunted in USA and Mexico!).
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| A crested (or montrose) saguaro - sometimes a normal plant branches in this unusual way. |
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| A tiny grasshopper amongst the spines. |
Doesn't it just want to make you put in a garden of succulents!!
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